Orchard Cafe

So I was dragged to another dinner buffet. This buffet was pretty good though. There is still the usual frozen seafood (didn’t eat much) but tons of other peranakan and local stuff. There was kueh pie tee, rendang, kong bak pao… It was very fun. After this, I thought I wouldn’t mind going for another themed kind of buffet :)
It was pretty empty also (went on a weekend evening), so no fighting over the food!

Maybe it was the lunch crowd. Maybe it was the 1 for 1 credit card promotion. In any case, there was no rush to replenish the food and people were left waiting. Service or portion control. Failed.
The selection was surprisingly plenty. It had been a couple of years since I last dined at Orchard Café for a buffet lunch, and I did not remember such a spread.
Sashimi station with ok freshness fish. Sushi was average. At 1230pm they had ran out of chopsticks AND soy sauce but no replacement of that. Likewise for the durian pengat.
What caught me by surprise was the inclusion of Boston lobsters, cold crabs and other shellfish (scallops, mussels) for lunch. Those were gone in a flash and it took forever for the restaurant to replenish it. It probably did not help when people took 5 – 8 pieces of the lobsters in a plate leaving none for those waiting.
What I liked was the Peranakan spread. Satay was very tender and good (another long queue), likewise for the kueh pie ti. There were also chicken rice and laksa which were made to order. Unfortunately the ayam buah keluak, chap chye, babi ponteng were mediocre. Maybe I should have tried the Indian dishes instead (4 items) or the other hot food.
Desserts were also average. The crème brûlée had champedak which was a nice touch. Mango cake was refreshing.
I have not seen long lines for any dishes in buffet in a long time and I think it boiled down to the pricing and the clientele of the place. Would I go back again? Probably not unless someone else absolutely wanted to dine there. It would probably be a few years again before I dine there.
It is a value for money place, especially with the promotion. But I do not like the dining room where tables are packed tightly and diners tend to bump into your chair. I also do not like the fact that they do not replenish basic stuff like chopsticks or soy sauce at all. However the service staff is excellent in topping up water and clearing the plates without being asked. It is not a place for a relaxing lunch with friends over good food and having a natter.

The food spread is indeed very wide and taste wise, very satisfying too. As this is a international spread, there’s also many local delights but I somehow felt that I wanted something exotic. Maybe I have to manage my own expectations afterall.
All in all, the food is good, service is prompt. :)

For pictures and full reviews, visit my blog!
We were rather impressed with Orchard Café’s Dinner buffet which was recently updated by Executive Chef Taki. Even if you don’t fancy the other dishes, feasting on the premium Live Alaskan Crabs, freshly shucked oysters, cold Tiger Prawns and sashimi is good enough.
Love how sweet the crab legs are. Alaskan crabs are my absolute favorite because they are so easy to eat. My other favorite is the succulent tiger prawns that are so umami. The oysters weren’t too shady as well though i thought it a little salty. The Australian ones were creamier and more substantial than the delicate French ones.
We started off with seafood and decided that was going to be it. Very good and buttery salmon, hamachi and tako sashimi. The pork knuckles and prime rib carving failed to impress due to the dryness. The roast duck however satisfied my meat craving.
The Laksa and Mee Rebus were unexpectedly good. Perhaps it’s because we didn’t expect an international buffet to do local delicacies well.
My other favorite? The cheese section. Rather decent cheeses that were left untouched. Imagine my happiness.
I stopped with the food after all that seafood and started on desserts. Quite a wide selection of desserts here. I enjoyed their mango cake, bread pudding and couldn’t stop munching on chocolate coated marshmallows. J loves the Durian Pengat which was really good with ice cream and chopped almonds.